It’s no secret that I love France’s Rhone Valley. From the northern villages where the vineyards are only a couple of acres and are on hillsides so steep they are almost impossible to cultivate, home to the wonderful Condrieu appellation to the southern Rhone where the Pope (Clement V, the first French Pope elected in 1305) chose to make Avignon the seat of his papacy rather than Rome . . . the papacy remained in France for 67 years . . . and
where the famous Chateauneuf du Pape (literally New Castle of the Pope) is produced from the gravelly, slightly rolling plains on the west side of the river.
The southern Rhone is home to several other lesser known, but equally delicious and sophisticated appellations like Vacqueyras, Lirac, and Gigondas (one of my very favorite villages and wines). And in all of these southern Rhone appellations, Syrah reigns supreme. The seductive, silky mouthfeel and deep rich flavors of the Syrah-based wines from this beautiful, slightly wild part of France have sparked an explosion in Syrah production in the New World
(California, Australia, and even South America) as vintners from around the globe work their particular magic on this hardy and prolific varietal.
However, Syrah is only one of the varietals in that region (according to AOC rules in France, Chateauneuf du Pape, for example, can contain up to 18 different varietals in each vintage). In the United States, an organization styling themselves “The Rhone Rangers” has organized (www.rhonerangers.com) to promote and explain 22 different varietals from the Rhone Valley that are now grown in California, particularly in the Central Coast region.
Most any of the Rhone Ranger wine producers can be trusted labels in the wine store, but tonight (as a Winter Storm Warning is in effect for North Texas) I’m opening a bottle of JC Cellars’ 2008 “Twist of Fate.”
Jeff Cohn (JC) claims it is “A Syrah unlike any other. A wine of pure decadence, an experience of pure terroir. With the lightest touch of a warm spring day after a rain and the sun comes out to dry it all away. Yes it’s that kind of wine… simply put, this was a twist of fate.”
Famed wine critic Robert Parker gives it a 94 (a very high score) and says, “The 2008 Syrah Twist of Fate reveals smoky, meaty notes intermixed with black fruit and damp earth characteristics. The gentle tannins caress the palate and the wine builds incrementally to a full-bodied, whoppingly rich, intense, but not over-the-top or heavy red. It should provide thrilling drinking over the next 6-8 years.”
Sounds great, doesn’t it? I’ll let you know! 😉